On the Fields of Trenzalore
by SkywardStrike63
Summary: The TARDIS crash lands and the Doctor finds himself in the land of Equestria. While puzzling over the strangeness of this world and trying to repair the TARDIS, his destiny finally catches up with him.
1. An Emergency Landing

Red warning lights flashed and a siren flared as the TARDIS hurtled through space. The Doctor darted around the central console as he frantically pushed the controls.

"Come on, stabilise!" urged the Doctor, almost hoping for the TARDIS to respond. She had been been running shakily for a while now and when he tried to get close to the Eye of Harmony to examine its stability, she completely lost control and the Doctor was unable to stop her flight.

He desperately stabbed at some more controls, trying anything to stop the TARDIS' rapid motion, but nothing was working.

"Maybe I shouldn't have thrown out the manual into a supernova," thought the Doctor, "wait, no, the section on spatial configuration had definitely been wrong. Besides, that manual assumed that there were six pilots, so unless he managed to acquire five extra pairs of arms (and considerably long ones at that) it would be useless. There was no way the Doctor could stop the TARDIS.

He had no other option than to try an emergency landing. He had no idea where he would end up , but he should be fine as long as the location of the landing wasn't somewhere dangerous. Of course, there was no guarantee that he would land somewhere safe. He shuddered to think what would happen if he ended up somewhere like Skaro or Sontar. He shook these thoughts out of his head before initiating the emergency land procedure. The floor started shaking violently as he braced himself for impact.

It was a bright, sunny day in Ponyville, and Rainbow Dash was taking a stroll on the outskirts of the town. Suddenly, a blue box appeared out of nowhere, right in front of her, causing her to jump with fright. When she recovered from the shock, she examined the box. It was a large cuboid, roughly twice the height of an average pony, and had eight small windows, two on each side. However, the windows were completely opaque, so Rainbow could not see what was inside, and they were also strangely high up. She wondered why anypony would put windows too high to see out of. There was also a door, put the box didn't look big enough to comfortably fit a pony inside. It had a light on the top, which was switched off, and the same words written above the windows on each side. The words were "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX".

She was about to open the door to see what was inside when the door opened and a strange creature stepped out. It stood on its two back legs, causing it to tower above her (which explained the shape of the box). It was dressed almost entirely in clothing, so that only its head and what should have been its front feet, but didn't look at all suited to use as feet. They like those things that monkeys had, whatever they were called. She didn't understand why it was wearing clothes, and especially why it was wearing so many. It completely lacked fur, but had a brown mane.

And it looked just as surprised as she was.

Rainbow reared up her front hooves for attack. She did not have any idea what this creature was but it looked like it could be dangerous.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down!" the creature said, raising its... front feet. "I come in peace."

So it could talk.

"Oh really?" Rainbow asked. She was not convinced.

"Yes!" it answered, holding up a small piece of blank paper. "See? It says I am certified by your ruler to be here."

That's just a blank piece of paper."

"Oh" The creature looked confusedly at the paper. "Guess it doesn't work on horses," it muttered to itself.

"Look," Rainbow said. She was losing her patience. "What the hay are you?"

"Well... um..." the creature hesitated. It looked like it was trying to think of what to say. It finally just sighed and said: "I'm an alien."

"What?!" Rainbow exclaimed. That threw her off balance for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "I don't believe you. You're probably just something from outside Equestria."

"Equestria? Equus..." The creature looked up for a moment, before grinning. "And your a horse. Heh."

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing." The creature said with a slight grin.

"Anyway, you said you were an alien.

"Oh yes. I am, really."

"Next you'll be saying that that box is your spaceship."

"Well... it is."

"Whaaat?" She had not been expecting that. Then she smiled. "Let me see inside then."

"Er... that's probably not a good idea. It might be a shock."

But it was too late. Rainbow had already made her way to the door and pushed it open, revealing what was inside.

"Okay, what the buck?!"

It was bigger on the inside.

"See? Shocking isn't it?"

"You'd better tell me what's going on here, mister!" She was pretty sure by now that "it" was a "he".

"Right after you tell me where we are and where to find others such as yourself."

"Okay," she sighed. She now believed his story. "We're in Ponyville."

"Ponyville!"

"What about it?"

"You're a pony, living in Ponyville!"

"So?"

"That's funny!"

"I don't see anypony laughing."

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"I don't see anypony laughing."

"Oh..."

"What now"

"The fact that everything is named after horses here just got old."


	2. Pinkie Pie's Grand Tour

The Doctor was having a very strange day. Firstly, he had been forced to do an emergency landing when the TARDIS had spun out of control for no apparent reason. Secondly, he had ended up on a planet full of talking ponies who named everything after their species, and now he was being led to a town of said ponies by a cyan, rainbow maned mare who was immune to the effects of his psychic paper. He was pondering this when the cyan mare suddenly asked.

"So, what's your name, anyway?"

"Ah," the Doctor said. He couldn't believe he had forgotten to ask the mare the same thing. "I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor Who?"

"Just the Doctor," the Doctor replied. Eager to shift the subject from his apparent lack of a name, he asked: "What's yours?"

"I'm Rainbow Dash."

Now that the Doctor had her name, he decided to ask about Ponyville. Or, more precisely, its name.

"So... this Ponyville..."

"What about it?"

"Its sort of strange that its named after ponies."

"Well, pretty much all of our towns are."

"What?"

"Pretty much all of our towns and cities have names related to ponies. There's Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Canterlot..."

The Doctor listened to Rainbow Dash list the settlements in Equestria. Not only did they all have horse related names, but they also had names which sounded very similar to human settlements on Earth. He wondered if the name of the planet might reflect this two.

"By the way, what's this planet called?" he asked.

"The name of the planet?" Rainbow Dash said, with a confused look on her face. "I don't think it has one."

"Really?"

"Well, I don't know anything about one."

That was strange.

"Twilight might know something about it though," Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Twilight?"

"Twilight Sparkle. She runs the library in Ponyville. I'm sure she'll know something about it."

"That's good. Maybe you could take me to her."

"Sure."

The Doctor had been so wrapped up in thought and in conversation that he had not noticed the buildings, which were now very close by.

"Here's Ponyville."

The Doctor was about to ask where the library was when a pink blur crashed into him, knocking him over and blurring his vision. When he recovered, he saw that the blur was in fact a pink mare with a pink, curly mane and a huge smile.

"Wow!" the mare exclaimed, bouncing up and down. Then, to Rainbow Dash, she asked: "What's this animal? I've never seen one before!"

"This is the Doctor," Rainbow Dash replied, "he says he's a space alien."

"A real alien!" the mare seemed to suddenly gain even more energy than before, bouncing up to the Doctor. "Wow, I gotta show you around!"

"Umm, well you see, I need to get to the library."

"There'll be plenty of time for that later!"

The Doctor had no choice than to allow this pink mare to show him around.

"I'm Pinkie Pie, by the way. "They went past rows of houses, with Pinkie Pie saying the names of the ponies living in each one, until they arrived in front of a building that had a roof which looked as if it were made of cake frosting.

"This is Sugarcube Corner. It's the best bakery in Equestria. It's where I work."

"That's very interesting, but I really ought to..."

The Doctor was unable to finish his sentence as Pinkie Pie whisked him into the bakery.

"So, what'll you order?"

"I'm really not hungry."

"Nonsense!"

He sighed. He could see that Pinkie Pie intended to give him the full service, however long it might take.

"I'll take whatever you recommend."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!"

The Doctor was presented with a cupcake. He ate it as quickly as he could, eager to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Okay, let's move on."

He was led to a tall, glamorous building.

"This is the Carousel Boutique." Pinkie announced. "Rarity lives here. She's the best dressmaker in Equestria!"

She took the Doctor inside before he had the chance to respond. There were dresses and suits of many kinds inside the shop, as well as a shocked looking white unicorn with a purple mane.

"What is that!?" the unicorn asked.

"Hi Rarity! This is the Doctor!"

"Yes but WHAT is he wearing? That suit is awful!"

"Oi!" the Doctor snapped. "I rather like it!"

"Well it really doesn't compliment you."

"I have an idea!" Pinkie Pie said. "How about you make him a new one!"

"I really don't think that's necessary."

"But I simply must! Please?" Rarity gave him a pleading look.

"Oh all right."

"Great! Don't worry, this won't take long."

Four and a half hours later, the Doctor was standing in Rarity's shop wearing the most ridiculous outfit imaginable. It was a tuxedo, decorated with jewels and feathers all over it. He felt embarrassed even knowing that it existed.

"So, what do you think?" Rarity asked.

"It's great, but I should probably put it away for now and save it for a special occasion." The Doctor replied. He hoped that Rarity would not catch on to the fact that he didn't like it. She might insist on making another.

"I suppose you're right."

"Come on, I'll show you the rest of Ponyville!" said Pinkie Pie.

7 hours later, the Doctor and Pinkie Pie arrived back at Sugarcube corner. The Doctor was exhausted. He had been to the house of a yellow mare called Fluttershy, who had spent half an hour asking the Doctor questions about what kind of animal he was; he had been to Sweet Apple Acres and spent 2 hours being shown around; and much, much more. He was glad that he didn't need to sleep, because if he did he would not be awake any more.

"Well, that's the tour!" Pinkie Pie announced. The Doctor had never been more relieved in his life.

"Right then." the Doctor said. "I'd better go."

"Oh no you don't! I still need to throw you a party! Wait, where did you go?"

The Doctor had never ran harder in his life.

*Knock knock" The door opened.

"Yes?" asked a lavender unicorn.

"Is this the library?"

"Yes it is, but we're closed now."

"Please? I really need some information."

"Well I suppose you can come in for a few minutes."

The Doctor walked into the hollowed-out tree. All of the walls were covered in bookshelves.

"What's your name?" The unicorn asked.

"I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor."

"But surely you have a name." The unicorn paused a moment to rub sleep from her eyes. She had not seen properly, and what she had assumed to be a stallion turned out to be something else.

"What in Celestia's name are you?!" The unicorn shrieked. Then, taking a moment to calm down, said: "I've never seen anything like you before."

"Well, I'm not exactly from here. I'm from another planet."

"WHAT?" exclaimed the unicorn. "Life on other planets? That's impossible!

"Well, I seem to prove you wrong there." said the Doctor.

"Well," the unicorn said, calming down for a second time, "space is pretty big. I suppose there could be extraterrestrial life."

"Yes. So what's your name anyway?"

"Twilight Sparkle. But that's not important! I need to inform the princess about this!"

"Wait, don't do that!" The Doctor didn't want to alert any authority figures of his presence. Seeing as these ponies were clearly unfamiliar with extraterrestrial life, he ran the risk of being locked up and studied. He could even be dissected.

"Why not?" Twilight asked.

"I don't want to be stuck on this planet any longer than I have to be. My ship crashed and won't be ready to fly again for a few days, but I don't want to have to stay here answering questions for a load of scientists."

"Okay, I suppose that makes sense. What did you come here for anyway."

"I wanted to find out the name of the planet. Once I know the name, I can check it with my records and find out where I am exactly."

"Well, that's a difficult question. We didn't really consider the possibility of life on other planets, so we never really named our own. I'll have a look."

"Thanks."

"10 minutes later, Twilight had found an answer. Both she and the Doctor had been searching the library when she found "Ancient History of Equestria". The book said that the ancient inhabitants of Equestria had used a name for the planet.

"It says that they called it Trenzalore." Twilight said.

The Doctor froze. He stood there, uncomprehending.

Trenzalore.

Oh please no.

Trenzalore.


	3. The Escape

On the fields of Trenzalore,

at the fall of the Eleventh,

when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer,

a question will be asked.

A question that must never, ever be answered.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked the Doctor. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I have to leave." The Doctor replied. "Right now."

"Why?"

"Terrible things will happen if I stay."

"What things?"

"I don't know. They just will."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Just trust me on this." The Doctor immediately started running out of the library, toward the edge of the town. Twilight followed after him.

"Wait!" she called, "I thought you said your ship was broken. How will you leave?" The Doctor stopped running.

"You're right," he said, "so I'll need to borrow some things."

"What things?"

"Oh, just some miscellaneous items."

"Such as?"

"A wire, a plank of wood, a feather and some sawdust."

"How will that help?"

"It's complicated. Very complicated.

"I see... Well, I have those things, but why should I let you have them?"

"You don't want to know what will happen if I stay."

"What will happen?"

"I don't want to know either. Whatever it is, it certainly won't be nice."

"Okay, you can have them. I'll just go and fetch them." Twilight went back inside the library. She returned a few minutes later with the items the Doctor had requested.

"Here you go."

"Thanks. The Doctor thought for a second. "How about you come with me."

"Really! To see your spaceship!"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Let's go!"

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the TARDIS. Twilight just stared at it.

"That's your spacecraft?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"It's just that it's a bit... small."

"Ah, I like this part. Have a look inside." The Doctor opened the door. Twilight stared with a look of utter amazement on her face.

"It's bigger on the inside!" Twilight shrieked. "That's impossible!"

"Well clearly it isn't, seeing as the TARDIS is."

"But..." Twilight was unable to argue, so she decided to ask a question. "Why is it called the TARDIS?"

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

"Oh, so the inside exists in a different dimension to the outside. It all makes sense now."

The Doctor was slightly annoyed that somebody had figured that out this quickly, but he had no time to be annoyed. He had a TARDIS to fix. He entered the TARDIS and started doing something with the wooden plank that Twilight didn't even think was possible.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" she asked.

"Actually, it'll more than likely achieve nothing and completely mess up the corridors. You have no idea how long it takes to clean those up. However, I need to try." The TARDIS immediately started to shake as sparks flew from the central console. The Doctor started using the other items as well, in ways that made Twilight's head sore from trying to understand what he was doing.

Eventually, the shaking died down. Twilight felt relieved for a moment, before she noticed the Doctor. his face looked solemn and apologetic, as if he were about to break bad news to a child.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," said the Doctor, with a sadness in his eyes that Twilight could not comprehend.

"Why. What's wrong?" asked Twilight. She was getting worried.

"I can't leave. I'm stuck here and terrible things are going to happen and I'm so sorry-" The Doctor was starting to break down.

"I'll send a letter to the princess." Twilight said, taking a new air of authority. The Doctor clearly had no solution to this problem, so Celestia was the only one she could turn to.

"... You're right," the Doctor said, calming down a little, "I suppose I can't expect to stay hidden in a time like this. The authorities need to know."

Together, the Doctor and Twilight Sparkle set of back to Ponyville.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I met a very strange creature. I say "creature" because I do not know what else to call him. He is not a pony of any kind. He calls himself "the Doctor", and says that he is from another planet. I believe him, as he has shown me technology which I did not previously think possible. His spacecraft has crashed here in Equestria and he is stranded here. He came to the library to ask about the name of this planet. Looking through old history books, I found that the planet used to be known as "Trenzalore". Upon hearing this, the Doctor became distressed, saying that terrible things would happen if he stayed here. He attempted to repair his spacecraft, but ultimately failed in at the task of getting it to launch. He now fears that we are all in grave danger. I must ask you to come to Ponyville immediately to discuss the situation with myself and the Doctor. Please hurry, for I fear the worst.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

There was a flash of green flame as the letter was incinerated.

"So the message will get to your princess immediately?"

"Yes."

"That's very interesting. So what now?"

"I've asked Celestia to come to Ponyville to discuss the situation. If she responds to the letter as quickly as I think she will, she should be here within half an hour."

"That's quick."

"Canterlot's not that far away."

Twilight thought about every time the princess had come to Ponyville. It was strange to think that this could be the last royal visit, if the world was endi-

No, she couldn't think like that. Celestia would know what to do, wouldn't she? In reality, Twilight knew that the world could easily end in the coming few days, but she tried her hardest to push that to the back of her mind. This was no time to panic.

It was a time to dread.


	4. Meeting with Royalty

Celestia could hardly believe what she was reading. What was this creature Twilight had found, and what was the "terrible danger" that it believed Equestria now faced? She decided to go to Ponyville immediately, to gain answers to these questions.

She left Canterlot in a hurry, bringing plenty of guards with her. It seemed likely that the creature was hostile, and had either taken Twilight hostage or deceived her into thinking that it was friendly. The letter was written in Spike's handwriting, so the creature could even have killed Twilight! Maybe all of Ponyville had been destroyed!

Celestia let these thoughts continue as she rode to towards Ponyville. By the time she arrived, she was prepared to use the full extent of her combat magic capabilities and order her soldiers to attack. Therefore, she was incredibly relieved to find that Ponyville was still there upon her arrival. She was still worried, however, and ordered her soldiers to run with her to the library, charging up a powerful combat spell.

She slammed open the door, charging in as she did so. She gasped as the creature caught her attention. It was so... strange. The shock caused her to release the spell she was charging, blowing a hole in the ceiling a causing dust a debris to rain down onto her.

"P-princess," Twilight stuttered, frightened by her mentor's fury.

"WE DEMAND YOU EXPLAIN YOURSELF TO US!" Celestia boomed, using her Royal Canterlot Voice for the first time in centuries, and charging up another spell.

"Calm down, I mean you no harm," said the Doctor, trying to quell the princess's anger.

"YOU SHALL NOT COMMAND US!" roared Celestia. This creature had no right to order her to calm down.

The Doctor saw that a different approach was needed. "I'm the Doctor," he said calmly, careful not to make any sudden movements. "I am a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I am entirely unarmed and at your mercy."

Celestia calmed down slightly, and her horn stopped glowing. "Search him," she commanded to her soldiers, no longer using her Royal Canterlot Voice. The guards started searching the Doctor, and recovered some items from his pockets: a piece of paper, a doll (it looked like a member of the Doctor's race but had several key differences-perhaps it was a female) and a brick. They also pulled many other items out of his pockets. There was no way that so many items could be contained within the pockets of a tweed jacket. In fact, the room was starting to fill up with miscellanious objects. Then, a much stranger item was found. It was a metal rod with a green crystal on the end. It looked like a weapon of some kind.

"What's this?" Celestia asked, starting to think that the Doctor had lied about being unarmed.

"That is my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor explained, "it's a tool, not a weapon."

"Of course you would want me to think that," Celestia said, with a sudden menacing tone.

"No really. It's not what you think!" the Doctor said, panicking.

"ENOUGH! WE SHALL NOT BE DECEIVED BY YOU, DOCTOR!" the princess boomed, using her Royal Canterlot Voice again, "GUARDS, GRAB HIM AND BRING HIM TO MY CARRIAGE! HE SHALL BE LOCKED AWAY WHILE WE THINK OF WHAT TO DO WITH HIM!"

Twilight tried to reason with the princess. "But Celestia, he says that-"

"SILENCE! OR WOULD YOU RATHER JOIN HIM?" There was fire in Celestia's eyes

Twilight curled up into a ball, scared out of her mind. This angered the Doctor.

"You have no right to act this way." The Doctor said, walking up to Celestia and jabbing a finger at her.

"YOU DARE TELL US WHAT OUR RIGHTS ARE!?" Celestia became even more furious.

"Yes, yes I do. You may be the ruler of this country, but you have no right to act his way toward your subjects. You have an obligation to rule Equestria justly. If this is how you rule, then you whould be grateful that you havee not been overthrown."

"WE RAISE THE SUN! PONIES RELY ON US FOR DAY!"

"Really? You actually tell them that?" the Doctor asked, chuckling darkly,"you want their worship so much that you claim to control day and night? That's pathetic."

"YOU DARE CALL US PATHETIC!? I AM A GOD! I HAVE LIVED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS!

"Well I'm not that young myself."

"YOU WILL OBEY US!"

"I don't obey tyrants. I'm not coming with you until we reach an agreement."

The Doctor winced as he was roughly thrown into the carriage. His hands and feet were tied and he had a gag in his mouth. Celestia had instructed the guards to be as rough as possible, and she had cast a spell which caused his throat to tighten so he was just about able to breath. Any tighter and he would have died in minutes. Twilight was receiving the same treatment, but the guards were a bit less rough with her. Clearly they were sympathetic for her. Her face was covered in tears and she was obviously suffering terribly from the choking spell. At least the Doctor was used to painful and terrifying situations.

A jolt ran through the carriage as it lifted into the air. All the Doctor could do now was wait. Wait and think what he was going to do. Maybe it would take his mind off the choking.

No, it didn't. But it did give him an idea. Well, if wait and see counts as an idea. He couldn't be sure whether or not he would be executed. He had defied her, and she seemed like the sort who didn't take kindly to that kind of thing. Well, there was no use worrying about it now. Wait, no. Definitely time to worry about it, since he might be able to think up a solution.

He couldn't. He was completely stumped.


	5. The Silent Foe

The Doctor felt a jolt run through his body as the carriage landed. He could not see out of the carriage, but from the subtle change of lighting he assumed that he was indoors. He decided that he was probably in the castle inn Canterlot.

He felt himself being lifted out of the carriage and thrown onto the floor. His nose broke as he landed face first. He felt his throat loosen, and he relished a long, yet painful, breath through his nose. He felt his binds being released, and he was at last able to open his mouth. He saw Twilight being released. She collapsed to the ground, panting through sobs. For a moment the Doctor could have sworn that Celestia had a horrified expression on her face, but it was gone immediately, replaced with a cold look. Strangely, he found himself suddenly holding a black pen. That was odd - he didn't remember getting it out.

"Take them into the dungeons," Celestia ordered.

Twilight was incredibly weak, and had trouble walking. The Doctor supported her as best he could, but he was not quite strong enough to lift her. The guards made no attempt to help, and simply kicked them whenever they started to fall behind. As they walked, the Doctor could hear some of what Celestia was saying.

"-order the headsman-"

This was worrying. He had been hoping that Celestia would want to keep him alive and question him about his knowledge. It seemed that he had been wrong. Twilight's eyes widened, leading the Doctor to believe that she had heard as well.

They eventually arrived at an empty cell, and the Doctor and Twilight were thrown in. There was a rumble as the door was locked, and then the guards walked away, leaving Twilight and the Doctor alone.

"Doctor, what's going to happen to us?" asked Twilight, shuddering.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered. He was trying to think of a way out of the situation, but he couldn't come up with anything.

Suddenly, he noticed something on his arm. He rolled up his sleeve to see what it was. What he saw explained everything. On his arm were two short, black, parallel lines. The kind of parallel lines made by the pen he had been holding earlier. This could only mean one thing.

He needed to remember.

Of course they would be here. This was Trenzalore, the very place they had sworn to keep him from. The Silence had made Celestia bring the Doctor here, in order to have him killed. The only question was, why Twilight? What was the reason for bringing an innocent person into this?

The Doctor's thoughts were interrupted by a purple figure with a bulbous head and no mouth, wearing a suit.

"Greetings, Doctor," it said, in a raspy voice.

The Doctor quickly marked a third line on his arm. "So, I take it you're here to kill me?"

"You shall be executed tomorrow morning," said the silent, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"I thought so. But why her? Why are you bringing an innocent person into this?"

"To make sure you do not try to run. If you accept your fate, she will be spared. If not, she will share your fate. You have never been willing for innocents to pay the price of your actions. You would not try to escape, knowing that she will die if you do."

The silent was right. He couldn't try to escape now.

"However, we had hoped she would not be necessary," the silent added.

"What?"

"We thought that you might come to the realisation that this is necessary. The question must never be answered. Do you not understand that?"

The Doctor understood. He had hoped that he could find a way to avoid the question, but inside he knew that it wasn't worth the risk. He had been running for too long. His death was the only way to ensure the safety of the Universe.

"I understand."

"Good. We shall be watching the execution, in case you change your mind. You know what will happen if you try to escape. You will not remember this conversation, but you will remember what you must do, and what will happen if you try to run. Goodbye, Doctor." The Silent vanished in a flash of light.

Nothing interesting happened while the Doctor and Twilight waited in their cell. Twilight had stayed in a foetal position on the floor, while the Doctor had paced across the room. He did not know why, but he knew that he would be executed, and that Twilight would be executed as well if he tried to escape. There was no way that he could have gained this information, but he just... knew.

Suddenly, there was a loud creak as the cell door was opened. A guard entered the cell.

"You," the guard barked, "come with me."

The Doctor slowly walked towards the door. He knew what was coming. His time was up.

"I want to come too," said Twilight suddenly. The Doctor and the guard were both taken aback.

"You don't want to see this," the Doctor said. Nobody should have to see what was about to happen.

"Please, I want to see this thing pay for its crimes." The Doctor was shocked by Twilight's sudden change. Why would she hate him all of a sudden? Then he came to a realisation.

The Silence have turned her against me, thought the Doctor. Perhaps it was for the best. If everybody hated him, nobody would be affected by his death. It was better this way.

"I'll be right back," said the guard, before leaving the dungeon to check with Celestia. He returned shortly. "Okay, you can come."

"Thank you," said Twilight with a smile.

The Doctor and Twilight followed the guard outdoors, onto a platform. On the platform was a block with a semicircle hole cut in it. Next to it was a yellow earth pony stallion wearing a black hood and carrying an axe. They appeared to be in an arena of sorts, with seating above the platform. The seating was full of ponies. On a balcony stood Celestia.

"You can watch from here," said the guard to Twilight. Then, to the Doctor, he said, "move towards the block.

As the Doctor approached the block, Celestia stood up.

"We are here today to execute this dangerous creature. It was found in Ponyville, where it took over the mind of Twilight Sparkle. It was then captured and brought here. It is a danger to Equestria!" Celestia's words were followed by cheers from the crowd. The Doctor glanced back at Twilight, who was smiling. She looked happy to see the Doctor go.

"We will now commence the execution."

The Doctor felt himself being pushed down as he was forced onto the block. This is it, he thought. The executioner raised his axe. The Doctor closed his eyes, waiting for the blow...

...which never came. The Doctor opened his eyes. He was no longer in the arena. He was in a forest. The trees were thick, and he could here howling in the distance. Twilight was next to him, laying on the ground and panting.

"What just happened?" asked the Doctor.

"I just teleported us out of Canterlot," replied Twilight. That explained why she looked so exhausted.

"So when you said wanted to watch, you just wanted to get close enough to me to perform the spell?"

"Yes." Twilight expected the Doctor to be glad.

"What did you do that for?!" shouted the Doctor.

"W-what?" Twilight didn't understand.

"If you'd just let me die, the problem would have been averted!"

"But I didn't know!" pleaded Twilight.

The Doctor sighed. "It's all right. But now the question may be answered.

"The question."

The Doctor hadn't meant to mention about his name, but he had no choice now. "There's a prophecy, about me. It says that "On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall the the Eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a question will be asked, a question that must never be answered."

"What's the question?" Twilight asked.

"Doctor Who?"

"Your name is that important?"

"Apparently. That's why my death would have saved you all. I'm the only one alive who knows my name."

"So what now?"

"I suppose I'll have to find out why my name is so dangerous and put a stop to it."

"Well then, let's go."

"Wait, you can't come."

"Why not?"

"It's far too dangerous!"

"Doctor, you need help. Who knows what could happen? This is too important to do alone. Besides, I know this place."

"I suppose. But I can't guarantee your safety. Or your survival."

"This is too important to let that get in the way."

"All right then. We should get started. Where are we, anyway?"

"This is the Everfree Forest. Its the last place they'll think to look for us. But it's kinda weird."

"What's so strange about it?"

"Well, the clouds move by themselves, and there are all sorts of dangerous creatures."

"Clouds moving by themselves, I'm used to. Dangerous animals could be a problem. We should be careful."

"Yes. So where do you think we should look?"

"I don't know. Perhaps we should-"

There was a loud crash as the Doctor was knocked over by a large, wolf-like creature. The Doctor rolled to the side and jumped up. Looking at the creature, he saw that it was made almost entirely out of wood.

"Timberwolf!" shrieked Twilight, "run!"

So they did.


	6. A Terrible Discovery

Twilight and the Doctor ran as the timberwolf gained on them.

"Can't you teleport us away?" asked the Doctor, between breaths.

"My magic's too weak!" replied Twilight. It took ages to prepare to teleport two people, and my magic is exhausted after doing it!" The timberwolf was getting closer. There wasn't much time left. Then the Doctor had an idea.

It's made of wood! he thought, taking a lighter from his pocket and creating a small flame. The flame was nowhere near big enough to cause to timberwolf to catch fire. He reached for his sonic screwdriver, intending to use it to increase the flame, but could not find it.

Of course. It was taken by Celestia's guards. The Doctor now had no way to expand the flames, and the timberwolf was almost upon them. Then he had another idea.

"Do you think you could create a strong gust of wind?" he asked Twililight.

"Yes, but what good will that do?" she replied, "I can't blow it away, if that's what you mean!"

"See this flame?" the Doctor said, "I want you to blow a gust of wind at the timberwolf that first passes through this flame." Twilight's horn lit up, as a strong wind blew from in front. The flame expanded backward, all but consuming the timberwolf. When the wind stopped, the timberwolf had become a fireball. Soon, it extinguished, leaving behind a charred corpse, barely recognisable as the creature it had once been.

The Doctor and Twilight stopped running, catching their breath.

"You said you knew this area, so where exactly are we?" asked the Doctor.

Twilight blushed. "Actually, I lost track of our location while running. I knew where we were before, but now we're lost."

"Oh." The Doctor sighed, but then he smiled. "I doubt it would help much anyway, unless you knew where to find something which we have no knowledge of whatsoever."

Twilight smiled. "I guess you're right.

"Unless you have a better idea, I say we go... that way," said the Doctor, pointing in a random direction.

"Seems like the best possible course of action," agreed Twilight. They set off.

"There's just one thing I don't understand," said Twilight suddenly.

"What's that?" asked the Doctor.

"I don't understand why Celestia got so... so..." Tears came to Twilight's eyes as she remembered how terrified she had been by Celestia's sudden mood swings. "So angry. I always thought that Celestia was the best pony in the world, I really looked up to her. And now, all this. I just don't understand." Twilight looked at the Doctor with eyes wet with tears. "Is she a bad pony?"

The Doctor sighed, "Twilight, I want you to know that Celestia didn't mean to do what she did. She had no control over her actions."

"Then why did she do it?"

The Doctor had already given away a lot of his secrets, so he figured there was no point hiding anything from Twilight. "There are these creatures called silents. They're aliens as well. When you look away from them, you forget all about them, and you do whatever they told you to do while you could see them. They're determined to kill me the prevent the answering of the question."

"Doctor Who?"

"Yes. They made Celestia do what she did."

"So she's not to blame? She not evil?" asked Twilight excitedly.

"She's not."

"That's a relief." Twilight's facial expression changed to one of happiness. Then she frowned. "But if you forget about them, how do you know all this?"

"I wrote all of the information down while looking at a picture of a silent. Pictures of them have the same memory-erasing effects as actual silents."

"But how do you know that the silents did this?"

"Whenever see a silent, I mark it on my body." The Doctor rolled up his sleeve, revealing three short, black lines. "I have three marks now, and I had two when we were thrown into the dungeon, so there must have been a silent with us in the dungeon."

"How do you know that we actually met a silent just now, and not in the dungeon."

"When I was about to be executed; I knew, without being told, that if I tried to run, you would be executed as well as me. There's no explanation for this other than the being told by a silent."

"Was that a reason you didn't run?"

"What?"

"You said that you didn't run because your death would avert an answer to the question, but was it really to save me?"

"Twilight, I go through life seeing innocents suffer and die, sometimes even for my sake. Whatever my life. I'm sick of seeing innocent people die. I try to avoid it as much as possible. So yes, that was part of the reason I stayed." The had an expression of sadness and pain on his face.

"Oh, Doctor, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset set you. I just-"

"It's all right Twilight. Races like yours aren't meant to understand what it's like to be as old as me. To see so much. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

Twilight didn't know what to say, so she said nothing. After some more walking, her inquisitiveness got the better of her and she asked a question.

"How old are you anyway?"

"When you're as old as me you don't tend to remember that sort of thing. Probably at least a thousand years."

"Wow, you must be around the same age as Celestia!"

"I imagine I am, if not older."

"I wonder if that wou-" Twilight stopped talking as she tripped over. She got up and examined the object that had tripped her. It was a small, flat, grey, disc with a large red button in the centre.

"What's that?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know. This looks like a button though." To emphasize her point, she pushed the button. There was a sudden flash of light. When the light was gone, they were no longer in the Everfree Forest. They were standing on a bronze coloured floor and there was a stone ceiling above them. The floor stretched on as far as the eye could see, with nothing else to see. The Doctor touched the floor with his hand. It felt cold, like a metal of some kind. He tapped it with his fist and it made a hollow sound. The floor couldn't be very thick, or it wouldn't make that sound. Suddenly, he heard a voice in his head.

Hello Doctor, the voice said, it's been a long time.

"Who are you?" said the Doctor, aloud.

You may not recognise me, but we've met before. Remember the yeti?

"It's you!" exclaimed the Doctor.

"Doctor, who are you talking to?" asked Twilight.

My knowledge has expanded greatly since we last met, Doctor. However, there is one thing I have been unable to learn. A fact that has eluded me.

A question that I cannot answer.


	7. The Fall of the Eleventh

Now is not the time to ask, said the voice, which the Doctor now knew belonged to the Great Intelligence, but know that soon, I will do so, and you will not be able to deny me.

"What are you doing here?" the Doctor demanded.

This planet formed around me. After I left Earth, I drifted through the darkness for millennia. Eventually, I ended up in orbit around a newly born star. Slowly, dust from that star settled around me, layering onto me as it become stone. After a few billion years, life emerged on this planet. I decided to influence life, to bend it to my will.

"You took away their free will," accused the Doctor.

I made the creatures of this world so that they could have joy. I gave them magic, so that they could govern their world. I gave them the capacity to love, to think. I made a paradise.

"So you did all this, out of benevolence?"

Not quite. I made their world a paradise out of kindness, but that is not the only change I made to this world. I caused this world to be like Earth. Did you not find it strange that the fauna is so much like that of Earth?"

"I was puzzled. But why?"

This world is a trap. I needed to bring you here, I created a link to the Eye of Harmony, so that it would bring you here. I made this world like Earth to inspire your curiosity.

"But why bring me here?"

My universe, the one that you call the Pre-Universe, is dead. I survived it's passing. I have lived in this Universe for a long time, and have learned almost all of its secrets. I want to see what awaits me in the next universe. I know how to pass on. I must destroy the Universe. To do that, I need only ask a question.

"You can't do this!" screamed the Doctor, "you can't destroy the Universe just because you want to see the next!"

You cannot stop me Doctor. Soon it will be time, and the question will be answered. In the meanwhile, I'll let you return to the surface. You may do what you wish with what remains of you time. It matters not in the end.

"No! I will not allow this! I-" The was a blinding flash of light. When it subsided, the Doctor and Twilight were in the library.

"What just happened?" asked Twilight, "who were you talking to?" Instead of replying, the Doctor ran out of the library and into a unicorn guard.

"Hey! I've found him!" the guard shouted. Several more guards quickly arrived. The Doctor fell to his knees.

"Please, just kill me," he said, with a look of resignation on his face.

"Why would I do that?" asked the guard.

"I- I'm a criminal," stammered the Doctor, "I was about to be executed before I escaped. Please, you have to kill me!"

"We were sent to Ponyville to find you. Princess Celestia extends her apologies for your attempted execution, and would like you to come to Canterlot so she can apologise." He then turned to Twilight, who had followed the Doctor out of the library. "You are invited as well," he said.

A look of dread appeared on the Doctor's face as he realised what was happening, he looked at his arm. There were now four marks, as opposed to the three that there had been before. The guards motioned for the Doctor amd Twilight to follow them. The Doctor had no choice but to obey. They were led to a large balloon, and climbed in. A guard cut the tether, and the balloon lifted into the air. In the corner of his eye, the Doctor noticed a piece of paper taped to the floor of the balloon. Picking it up, he examined it, and saw that it was a note. It read:

We have been enlightened. The question must be answered. The Silence shall no longer pursue your death.

That was it then. The Great Intelligence had gotten control of the Silence. There was no way that the Silence would allow the Doctor's death. The Universe was finished.

Celestia couldn't believe she had been so foolish. She had tried to kill the Doctor! She might as well have burned down Canterlot! She only hoped that the Doctor could forgive her. A guard entered the room.

"They're here," he announced.

"Send them in," Celestia ordered. The doors to the throne room opened, and the Doctor and Twilight Sparkle entered.

"Doctor!" exclaimed Celestia happily, "I'm so glad you could come. I'm so sorry about the attempted execution! I just don't know what came over me!"

The Doctor was grim. "Celestia, you have to listen to me. You must kill me. The fate of the entire Universe depends on it."

"What are you talking about? I would never do such a thing!"

The Doctor checked his arm. There was now a fifth line crossed through the first four lines. It was clear that he was not going to be able to have himself killed. Unless...

"Celestia, do you have a spell that can prevent you from lying? A spell that would force me to answer any question truthfully?" he asked.

"Of course. That would be simple."

"Good, I want you to cast it on me."

"I suppose there would be no harm in it." Celestia's horn flared, and an aura enveloped the Doctor for a few seconds, before fading.

"Thank you, now ask me if there are aliens other than me in this room." Before Celestia could answer, there was a flash of light, and the Doctor found himself in darkness, on a cold, metal floor.

When I said you could sped your remaining time however you liked, I knew what you would do, said a voice that the Doctor dreaded to hear.

"No," he whispered, "this can't be how it ends."

Oh but it is, Doctor. The Universe will end. Silence will fall.

"Please," the Doctor whispered. He was freely crying now, tears streaming down his face. "Don't do this."

You only made it to eleven, Doctor. That could have been another hundred thousand years of your life. It almost saddens me to think that you will die having lived such a tiny fraction of your potential lifespan.

"You don't have to do this. I can find another way to send you to the next universe."

It's too late, Doctor. A moment of foolishness has brought you here, and now my wisdom shall see the end carried out. Is there anything else you wish to say before I ask the question?

"When you reach the next universe, please don't destroy it. You can find another way to live. I know I can't save the Universe now, but please. Just let the next one live.

I will take your words into consideration, Doctor. Perhaps I will not live to see the end of the next universe. I am old, and I cannot live forever. But now, it is time. There is one thing I must know.

The Doctor braced himself for the end.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I couldn't win."

Doctor Who?

On the fields of Trenzalore,

at the Fall of the Eleventh,

when no living creature could speak falsely or fail to answer,

a question was asked.

A question that should never, ever have been answered.


	8. Vale Medicum

Twilight Sparkle's flickered open. Remembering what day it was, she quickly got out of bed and went downstairs. She thought about breakfast, but decided that there was no time. She made sure that the curtains were closed. Spike was still asleep, which would make her task easier.

Her horn flared and all of her books fell of of the shelves. Today was re-shelving day. She lifted the books up one by one, putting them on their correct shelves.

History of the Griffin Kingdom

The Life of Star Swirl the Bearded

A Foal's guide to Levitation

Ancient History of Equestria. Twilight looked at this book, remembering the last person to have read it. The Doctor had come to the library to ask a question. He had found the answer in this particular book.

The Doctor. What a strange individual. He had disappeared suddenly when Celestia put a truth spell on him. Twilight had no idea what had happened to him after that, as she had never heard from him again. Celestia, after apologising for her outburst, had sent Twilight home, leaving to investigate the cause of his disappearance. That had been over a year ago, and neither Twilight nor Celestia had been able to figure out what had happened. The TARDIS had been found, but when it was opened, it had just been an empty box. There was no trace of what it used to contain. It was, for want of a better word, dead. Everybody had forgotten about the Doctor now. It was like he had never come to Equestria. Still, Twilight wondered what had happened to him.

The cracks are opening, it is time for me to leave, said the Great Intelligence.

The Doctor was burning. His body had been engulfed by flames. He looked like he was regenerating, and he felt like he was too, but he knew that he wasn't. He had been asked the question, and he had answered.

He was angry. Not just at the Great Intelligence, but at everything. Everything that had opposed him: the Master, the Daleks, the Cybermen. He hated everything. Everybody had opposed him at some point. Everybody deserved to die, and he would destroy them. He would destroy them all with his fiery rage.

The flames which consumed his body started to expand, eating away at the Universe. The Great Intelligence was leaving, heading to it's new home in another universe. Maybe he would go there, and exact his revenge on that universe as well. Surely it's inhabitants were guilty of something.

Then he thought of his friends. Susan, Ian, Barbara, Sarah-Jane, Ace, Rose, Martha, Donna, the Brigadier, Amy, Rory; all people that the Doctor loved. He thought of them, and the fate that would befall them if he continued. He couldn't destroy the Universe.

He couldn't.

But he couldn't stop either. His body had taken over. He had no control over the destruction. Except...

He could divert the energy. Send it somewhere else. But where? That amount of power couldn't be stored just anywhere. It would take an immensely powerful being to hold that power. Or two.

A smile flickered over what was left of the Doctor's face as he put all of his effort into bringing the Intelligence back to him. The fires became arms, wrapping around the Intelligence's metal body and dragging it toward the Doctor. Once the Intelligence and the Doctor were joined together, the Doctor let go, trapping the power inside the two Gods.

"You didn't think you could leave that easily, did you?" said the Doctor, as darkness overcame him.

Twilight had almost finished re-shelving her books, when there was a knock at the door. She opened it, and was greeted by Rainbow Dash.

"Has the latest Daring Do arrived yet?" she asked excitedly.

"Not yet, but it should be here tomorrow," replied Twilight. Rainbow Dash's face fell for a second.

"Okay, bye," she said as she walked towards the door.

"Wait a second Rainbow."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember the Doctor?"

"That alien? I remember him."

"What do you think happened to him?"

"Dunno. Maybe he went back to his ship, or maybe he died. Twilight felt a pang of sadness at Rainbow's suggestion that the Doctor had died.

"He said he couldn't leave, so he's probably dead." Rainbow continued, unaware of how much her words were hurting Twilight. Twilight kept a straight face, trying to hide her sadness.

"Anyway, bye!"

"Goodbye," said Twilight quietly. Rainbow Dash left the library.

Twilight looked up at the stars, thinking about the Doctor. He was gone, she was sure of it. Yet somehow, she felt happy. The world hadn't ended like he had said it would. While the Doctor had died, he had died saving the Universe. She looked up to see a shooting star, and smiled. The Doctor was gone, but his legacy would never fade away.

His song is over, but the story never ends.


End file.
